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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chip — for betting
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — after costs
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. net — in sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — for digging
  19. net — for catching
  20. cap — of ice
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fine — high quality
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com